RHINELANDER - Oconto Falls seemingly couldn't miss in the first half, and the Panthers outpaced the Rhinelander High School girls basketball team 63-40 on Monday night in Rhinelander.

"We switched up three different defenses at them and they continued to score. We started out in a zone, we went back to man, and there wasn't really anything we could do to stop them. They were just on fire. Hats off to them," said Hodags assistant coach John Wright.

Wright stepped in to coach RHS, who was without head coach Mark Jacobson due to a bad stomach flu.

The Panthers nailed seven three-pointers on their way to a 44-17 lead at the break. Bay Conference leading scorer McKenna Larsen had 15 first-half points for Oconto Falls.

RHS outscored the visitors in the second 16 minutes, but it wasn't enough as the Hodags fell to 3-17 on the year. Oconto Falls improved to 16-5.

No player had more than seven points for the Hodags, who were led by Sydnei Smith in scoring. Four players had six points in a balanced attack.

"I'd like to see us with that balance. I think that's the makeup we have right now. We've been a heavily guard-dominated scoring team up until this point, but we have some potential to score some points in the paint," Wright said.

Hodag forwards Brianna Gilbert, Emily Fortier, and Riley Aschenbrenner combined for 16 points, nearly all of them in the post.

RHS sophomore Kylie Hunter continued her gradual recovery from a meniscus injury, chipping in six off the bench.

The loss breaks a streak of three consecutive good outings for RHS. They had beaten Lakeland and Tomahawk last week before hanging tough with conference leader Northland Pines on Friday.

RHS has one more game, home against Wausau East on Thursday, before entering postseason action.

"I think we match up well against East. I would like to continue to see our bigs score some more points," Wright said.

After that matchup, the Hodags will ready themselves for WIAA playoff play. RHS drew the lowest seed in their Division 2 half-sectional, entering as #10. They will travel to Minocqua next Tuesday to play #7 Lakeland in the first round. The winner of that game will hit the road to face #2 Medford in the Regional Semifinals.

WISCONSIN - Anyone who loves hunting and fishing will need to apply for a license. The deadline for some hunting and fishing licenses is August 1 at 11:59 p.m.

Hunters, trappers and spearers can go on the DNR website to apply.

"This is the time of year where not a lot of people are thinking about hunting, but that August 1 date is that date for applying for a bobcat, fisher or otter tag, sharp-tail grouse, or sturgeon spearing or fall turkey," said DNR Warden Supervisor David Walz.

ST. GERMAIN - The last day of Pig in the Pines wrapped up Saturday. People were able to watch the rib eating contest in the afternoon.

Newswatch 12 got to help judge ribs from this year's four rib vendors. One of the big events happened on the main stage Saturday evening.

"We have entertainment all day long," said St. Germain Chamber President Bruce Weber. "We have the Wise Guys on our main stage. We have Laura Ernst on the aerial platform here. She also does juggling. On our major stage, we have One Ping Only, and we also have Molly Hatchet, our lead act tonight."

WISCONSIN - The DNR set new rules for tagging deer hit by a car. The new rules remove local law enforcement from the process.

You no longer have to call police to get a tag issued for a deer carcass, if you want to take it home after an accident.

"The new policy for the DNR shows that you just have to dial a number in order to get a tag issued for a deer on the side of the road instead of having to call a dispatcher to get a deputy on scene," said Oneida County Sheriff's Department Dispatch Brandi Gray.

This has to be done before taking the deer from the scene. The person who hit the deer has the right to take it, but if they don't want the deer, anyone can have it.

ONEIDA COUNTY - Invasive species specialists work hard to protect our environment, but a few lakes in Oneida County aren't doing as well as experts would like.

Aquatic experts have found invasive species in four new Oneida County lakes this summer. Those discoveries are not great signs for the health of the environment, but the numbers also aren't as bad as years ago, when specialists might have found acres of an invasive species in some lakes. The new discoveries, though, are still troubling.

MADISON - People with five, seven, or even ten or more OWI convictions in Wisconsin usually serve time in jail or even in prison. But they could be driving again soon after they get out.

Wisconsin law allows a person convicted of an OWI to get an occupational license for traveling to places such as work or church within 45 days after their release. But some lawmakers think that policy could lead to serious trouble.

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